Weyerhaeuser Reviews

Pros

- Good salary & Benefits
- Fair working environment
- Very good work life balance
- Lots of structure, so its fairly easy to succeed here (meaning success can be methodically achieved rather then politically).
- Exceptional at providing training for their core domain areas and for safety training

Cons

Now you must take into consideration that I was in the software development group in a wood products company so lots of the cons are because of the legacy of a massive 100+ year old company.
- Lots of bureaucracy... to the point of comedy
- Surprisingly few passionate people
- Not especially entrepreneurial
- Extremely risk averse
- Not willing to be tactical
- Doesn't seem to interface enough/be concerned with the consumer of the products they make
- Hard to "move the needle" so lots of frustration if you have big ideas for improvement
- Cyclical business so unilateral layoffs are pretty common (e.g. 20% of every department gets cut no matter what they are working on).
- Not enough transparency into the corporate health even though Sr. Management is very communicative with the line employees.
- Company doesn't celebrate its successes enough

Advice to Senior Management

Simplify the organizational structure. the VP to individual resource proportions are way out of whack. Take more risks with regard to opportunity. Try to trim back the overhead... there are lots of jobs at WY I never thought were FTE roles. Every headcount needs an ROI, outsource the rest of it. In short the company is too big for its own good. The business units need more autonomy and a culture of rapid innovation and calculated risk taking needs to be installed.

Pros

Good people in the IT group.

Cons

Mature industry with limited growth potential.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on profitable segments

Pros

Management does respect the employees. We get time off with no problem, and they treat everyone fairly. Also the pay is good for this area.

Cons

The heat has to be the worst part of my job. The work can be labor intensive sometimes, but we get breaks often.

Advice to Senior Management

We are working on getting management to approve a new schedule. It would be three, 12 hr. days one week and four, 12 hr. days the next. This would be a lot better schedule for all the kiln guys and we all want it. Presently we are all working 7 days straight on each shift, only one weekend off a month.

Pros

Overall, the people that work there are respectful, nice and hard working.

Cons

No company can come out with a healthy organization after the going through the types of layoffs that Weyerhaeuser did. It's going to take years to recover and create a non-toxic cultural environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Hold people accountable for their actions. I had too many experiences where commitments weren't met and management just looked the other way instead of managing poor performance.

Pros

A company that has been re-inventing itself over the last few years and is starting to hit its stride. The company has a path forward. Will be well positioned once the economy recovers.

Cons

Still struggling with the economic downturn. Unfortunately has forgotten how to have the fun that was part of the work experience in previous years.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember that employees need to feel valued and that their contribution is appreciated and acknowledged.

Pros

I worked with an excellent team of dedicated people who kept their heads up and eyes on the ball through the most difficult times.

Compensation and benefits were good.

Cons

Morale is low.
IT costs too much, primarily due to outsourcing agreements and lack of oversight over those agreements.
Good staff let go; many substandard employees remain to handle increased workload.

Advice to Senior Management

Each job opening starts with "People are our greatest asset". Management did not back up that talk in 2009.

Pros

The people were great. Management does care about people but it was hard to see at the cuts have to take place. But that is business.

Cons

Very silo approach for much of the work and therefore they are missing out on some great opportunities. It was hard to leave but the company has gone through major changes. It will not be the same company as it was years ago.

Advice to Senior Management

Begin to look across the company as there is still to many silos. Also, IT is too expensive for what you get. I'm sure you could save jobs in the business by looking there.

Pros

- Generally relaxed, well- balanced, polite organization. No attitude - easy.
- Corporate campus setting is beautiful.

Cons

- Forest Products Industry declining fast, company reorganizing to survive. Employment is not stable, near term.
- Strong culture and established network of long-term employees, difficult for new hires to rise make impact quickly. Not for ambitious person.

Advice to Senior Management

Too little, too late making changes? Company must bring in fresh talent and ideas, then meld with established strong managers.

Pros

Large company that could potentially offer many resources. Unfortunately due to economics those resources are currently strained. Used to have a very good base of knowledgeable folks to draw from....they are gone.

Cons

Company has suffered terrible due to the recession. My sector has not been profitable for almost 3 years. I've been in the same position for 4 years and feel like i'm just hanging in there avoiding layoff. While I stay very busy completing given tasks and logging results I'm doubtful that my efforts add any value. Very specialized industry.....as a young engineer feel that I have pigeon holed myself way to soon.

Advice to Senior Management

Company has stoic approach to people management which is frustrating given of the apparent emphasis on innovation. No flextime....no alternate schedules. Lots of middle management....can't ever tell what they are up to. Very little career guidance offered and information flow is terrible. Seasoned folks too concerned about protecting their own jobs to foster any development in younger employees.

Pros

Excellent work life balance with onsite fitness center, reasonable flexibility in work hours, occasional telecommuting (great remote access tools). Most employees/contractors are very competent...especially after the major downsizing in 2009 due to the recession. Lots of interest in sustainability, biofuels and other innovations relative to using trees (WY is certified in sustainable forestry and treats and cares for its timberlands as vital, renewable assets).

Cons

Still a big company so still a lot of politics, and managers enjoy and favor their sycophants. Mixed bag on pay, they compare themselves nationally for IT salaries despite the fact there is high demand for IT, and higher salaries, a few miles north in Seattle. Company was well positioned to catch the full force of the recession: 3 of the 4 major company divisions are tied to housing (Real Estate, Building Materials, and Timberlands), so it is still reeling. Significant recovery with current business mix will lag the rest of the economy by 12-18 months so Co is hunkered down. New innovations are probably years away from market.

Advice to Senior Management

While Timberlands is your greatest asset on the books, everything else up the supply chain ultimately really relies on the employees. Take care of your people & they will take care of the company. Also, seriously re-evaluate the whole iLevel model.